[Senate Report 116-272]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                      Calendar No. 560
116th Congress      }                                   {       Report
                                 SENATE
 2d Session         }                                   {      116-272
_______________________________________________________________________

                                     


           DRONE ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY ACT

                               __________

                              R E P O R T

                                 of the

           COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION

                                   on

                                S. 2730

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]


      September 30 (legislative day, September 29), 2020.--Ordered
                             to be printed
                             
                             _________
                              
                 U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
                 
99-007                   WASHINGTON : 2020
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
       SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
                     one hundred sixteenth congress
                             second session

                 ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi, Chairman
JOHN THUNE, South Dakota             MARIA CANTWELL, Washington
ROY BLUNT, Missouri                  AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota
TED CRUZ, Texas                      RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut
DEB FISCHER, Nebraska                BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii
JERRY MORAN, Kansas                  EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts
DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska                 TOM UDALL, New Mexico
CORY GARDNER, Colorado               GARY C. PETERS, Michigan
MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee          TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin
SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia  TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois
MIKE LEE, Utah                       JON TESTER, Montana
RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin               KYRSTEN SINEMA, Arizona
TODD C. YOUNG, Indiana               JACKY ROSEN, Nevada
RICK SCOTT, Florida
                       John Keast, Staff Director
               David Strickland, Minority Staff Director





















                                                      Calendar No. 560
116th Congress      }                                   {       Report
                                 SENATE
 2d Session         }                                   {      116-272

======================================================================



 
                    DRONE ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR THE
                            21ST CENTURY ACT

                                _______
                                

  September 30 (legislative day, September 29), 2020.--Ordered to be 
                                printed

                                _______
                                

       Mr. Wicker, from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                Transportation, submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                         [To accompany S. 2730]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to 
which was referred the bill (S. 2730) to establish and ensure 
an inclusive and transparent Drone Advisory Committee, having 
considered the same, reports favorably thereon with an 
amendment (in the nature of a substitute) and recommends that 
the bill (as amended) do pass.

                          PURPOSE OF THE BILL

    S. 2730, the Drone Advisory Committee for the 21st Century 
Act, is intended to ensure an inclusive and transparent Drone 
Advisory Committee.

                          BACKGROUND AND NEEDS

    The Drone Advisory Committee (DAC) is a broad-based, long-
term Federal advisory committee established by the Department 
of Transportation (DOT) in accordance with the provisions of 
the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).\1\ The objective of 
the DAC is to provide independent advice and recommendations to 
the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and to respond to the 
agency's taskings related to improving the efficiency and 
safety of integrating unmanned aircraft systems (UAS, or 
drones) into the National Airspace System (NAS). Membership is 
comprised of chief executive officer-level or chief operating 
officer-level executives from a cross-section of stakeholders 
representing UAS interests, including industry, research and 
academia, retail, and technology. All DAC meetings are open to 
the public, unless otherwise provided for under the FACA. The 
DAC was initially established in September 2016 and was 
operated by RTCA, formerly known as the Radio Technical 
Commission for Aeronautics, until May 2018. The DAC was re-
chartered for an additional 2 years in June 2018. As of October 
16, 2019, the DAC was comprised of 34 members. Its charter 
limits membership to 35 members. In June 2020, the DAC was 
again rechartered, and a notice was published in the Federal 
Register on June 18, 2020, soliciting new members.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463).
    \2\Federal Aviation Administration, Solicitation of Nominations for 
Appointment to the Drone Advisory Committee, Jun. 18, 2020, 85 Fed. 
Reg. 36981 (https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-06-18/pdf/2020-
13133.pdf) (accessed Jul. 13, 2020).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    On May 8, 2019, the Committee held a hearing entitled ``New 
Entrants in the National Airspace: Policy, Technology, and 
Security Issues for Congress'' in which the Executive Director 
of the FAA's UAS Integration Office, Jay Merkle, testified. In 
response to a question about the composition of the DAC, Mr. 
Merkle stated, ``[I]n the composition of the Drone Advisory 
Committee, we support having a wide range of users, 
manufacturers, and operators.''\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \3\U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation, New Entrants in the National Airspace: Policy, 
Technology, and Security Issues for Congress, 116th Cong., 2019, 
testimony of Jay Merkle (https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2019/5/new-
entrants-in-the-
national-airspace-policy-technology-and-security-issues-for-congress) 
(accessed Jul. 13, 2020).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Drones currently enable a wide variety of applications, 
including assessing, monitoring, and managing farm and forestry 
activities. Surveys indicate that nearly three-quarters of 
farmers in the United States use or are considering using drone 
technology to assist with their agricultural activities. The 
needs for and perspectives on drone usage in rural America 
often differ significantly from urban and suburban parts of the 
country.

                         SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS

    S. 2730 would do the following:
   Convey the sense of Congress that, due to the 
        increased use of UAS in agriculture, forestry, and 
        rangeland sectors, the FAA should, to the extent 
        practicable, include such representation on the DAC and 
        that full transparency in the work of the DAC is 
        important to ensuring public participation.
   Direct the FAA to take appropriate steps to 
        encourage direct representation of county and Tribal 
        governments, as well as agriculture, forestry, and 
        rangeland sectors on the DAC.

                          LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

    S. 2730, the Drone Advisory Committee for the 21st Century 
Act, was introduced on October 29, 2019, by Senator Peters and 
was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate. Senators Thune and Roberts are 
cosponsors. On December 11, 2019, the Committee met in open 
Executive Session and, by voice vote, ordered S. 2730 reported 
favorably with an amendment (in the nature of a substitute).

                            ESTIMATED COSTS

    In accordance with paragraph 11(a) of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate and section 403 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee provides the 
following cost estimate, prepared by the Congressional Budget 
Office:

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]


    The Drone Advisory Committee of the Federal Aviation 
Administration (FAA) provides recommendations on improving the 
efficiency and safety of unmanned aircraft systems. S. 2730 
would require the FAA to seek a broader membership on the 
committee and encourage public participation in the nomination 
of members.
    Using information from the FAA, CBO estimates that 
implementing S. 2730 would have no significant effect on the 
federal budget because according to the agency, most of the 
bill's requirements are already planned or implemented.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Aaron Krupkin. 
The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy 
Director of Budget Analysis.

                      REGULATORY IMPACT STATEMENT

    Because S. 2730 does not create any new programs, the 
legislation will have no additional regulatory impact, and will 
result in no additional reporting requirements. The bill will 
have no further effect on the number or types of individuals 
and businesses regulated, the economic impact of such 
regulation, the personal privacy of affected individuals, or 
the paperwork required from such individuals and businesses.

                   CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING

    In compliance with paragraph 4(b) of rule XLIV of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee provides that no 
provisions contained in the bill, as reported, meet the 
definition of congressionally directed spending items under the 
rule.

                      SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Short title.

    This section would provide that the bill may be cited as 
the ``Drone Advisory Committee for the 21st Century Act''.

Section 2. Sense of Congress.

    This section would express the sense of Congress that, 
given the ever-increasing use of UAS in the agricultural, 
forestry, and rangeland sectors, the FAA, to the extent 
practicable, should include direct representatives from these 
interests on the DAC. Furthermore, it would express the sense 
of Congress that transparency in the work of the DAC is vital 
to ensuring the public can effectively participate and 
contribute to the development of sound Federal policies and 
thus FAA shall, to the maximum extent practicable, ensure the 
DAC operates in an open and transparent manner.

Section 3. Drone Advisory Committee membership.

    This section would direct the FAA to take appropriate steps 
to encourage direct representation of county and Tribal 
governments, as well as the agriculture, forestry, and 
rangeland sectors and other rural interests on the DAC. 
Additionally, to the maximum extent practicable, the FAA is to 
include public participation in the process of nominating 
members for the DAC.

                        CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

    In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee states that the 
bill as reported would make no change to existing law.

                                  [all]